10 Things You Didn't Know About Thanos
The Mad Titan himself, Thanos, is a complex and layered character in both the comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His interpretation by Josh Brolin in the MCU has been heralded by fans and critics alike as one of the greatest portrayals of a villain in the 21st century. His plot to destroy half the life in the universe, in which he is briefly victorious, is one of the most sinister undertakings ever executed by an antagonist. While Thanos is currently the ultimate villain in the MCU, there are still plenty of heinous deeds and evil plots that he carried out in the comics which didn't make their way onto the big screen.
10. Big Boy
The Marvel universe is no stranger to large and in-charge characters. No china shop would be safe from shoppers such as the Incredible Hulk, the Thing, or certainly Thanos. His comic iteration stands a NBA average 6'7" and weighs in at a scale-tipping 985 pounds according to Marvel Avengers: The Ultimate Character Guide. His onscreen iteration, while equally muscular and "bulked up" as his creator, Jim Starlin puts it, stands a good two feet taller than comic-Thanos. His official dimensions for special effects reference lists his height as 8'3".
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9. Star of the Show
It's not often that the antagonist has the most screen time in a film, but such is the case with Josh Brolin's Thanos in Infinity War. Arguably stealing the show from the first minute he's seen onboard the Asgardian refugee ship, knocking the Hulk's teeth in, Thanos is a sinister and self-righteous presence throughout the entirety of the film. Thanos takes the top place with 25 minutes in the 2.5 hour long thrilling film. Second and third go to Gamora and Tony Stark with 17 and 16 minutes respectively.
8. Titanic Traits
As a Titan, Thanos is born with many physical traits and abilities that some would consider unnatural. Among these are his immense size, strength, and speed, making him a lethal adversary to even skilled and powerful fighters like the Hulk and Thor. It took a weapon made in the armory of the gods to kill Thanos in Endgame and even then it was only after he was weakened and unprepared. This durability also allowed the Titans to live for millennia, with Thanos aged over 1,000 years old by the time he began the Infinity War. Titans were not invincible or immortal, however, as they faced extinction due to a lack of resources on their homeworld of Titan, driving Thanos to begin his quest to "rebalance the scales."
7. Greek Namesake
Marvel, like many other modern stories, draws heavily from myth and legend. In the case of Thanos, much of his character, backstory, and even his name can be traced back to Greek mythology. Given that Thanos sought to, and succeeded, in wiping out half the life in the universe, and in the comics was romantically involved with not only Hela the Asgardian goddess of death, but Lady Death herself, it comes as little surprise that his name has macabre origins. Thanos is derived from the Greek word thanatos which literally translates into "death."
6. Forsaken Son
Born to two Eternals, father A'Lars (also known as Mentor) and mother Sui-San, Thanos was cursed with the Deviants gene, causing his grotesque appearance and warmongering demeanor. The cousins of the Eternals, the Deviants were monstrous beings who sought only conquest and bloodshed. Fearing what Thanos' future could mean for the nature of life itself, his mother attempted to kill him in infancy. She was prevented from this by the Mad Titan's father, leaving Thanos alive to wage his genocidal campaign against the universe.
5. Routed by Rodents
Comic books and their writers, editors, and illustrators have their fair share of meta-fun at the expense of characters and storylines. Given the changing themes in comic books, the numerous "deaths" and "resurrections" our favorite super heroes have been though, and the ever evolving staff at Marvel, DC, and other comic companies canonizing anything into a coherent storyline can often be a fool's errand. Look no further than What If...?, a show devoted entirely to incorporating this multiversal madness into the MCU, for a recent example. A comic character devoted entirely to this tongue-in-cheek self critique is Squirrel Girl and her squirrel sidekick Tippy-Toe. In her first appearance, Squirrel Girl takes out Dr. Doom (no daisy at all in Marvel comics) and for an encore defeats Thanos without a single comic panel devoted to the actual fight.
4. Friendly Fire
While MCU Thanos is a fairly faithful adaptation of the comic book version, the largest difference is his motivation. While Brolin's Thanos seems mournful when surveying the ruins of his homeworld, in the comics he was directly responsible for its destruction. Comic-Thanos has no interest in saving the universe from itself, limited resources, or anything besides wooing sweet Lady Death. To show his love for her, he sends her his family and best friend by his own hand, slaughtering his lover and children. When this doesn't catch her eye-socket he turns the weapons of his starship Sanctuary against his own planet in a fiery nuclear holocaust. With the geocide of Titan completed, and Mistress Death still uninterested, Thanos sets about to destroy as many lives across the universe as he can to gain her favor.
3. Brotherly Love
With a mother who attempts to kill you in infancy and a father too preoccupied with galactic matters to be a very attentive or loving dad, it is unsurprising that Thanos' childhood is described as being very lonely and broken. In fact the only one he counted as a friend was his brother, Eros of Titan. Eros was not as physically imposing as his brother but did posses the power of flight and a Mantis-like ability to influence emotions through physical touch. Eros later traveled to Earth, allied himself with Tony Stark and joined the Avengers to oppose his brother's genocidal quest.
2. Prehistoric Tribute
It seems even while excavating fossilized remains, paleontologists find the time to enjoy the occasional Marvel movie or comic. In 2014, the fossilized remains of a carnivorous theropod were first discovered in Brazil by a team from the Brazilian Museu de Paleontologia. In 2020, the dinosaur was officially named Thanos simonattoi by doctors Delcourt and Iori in honor of the Mad Titan. Closely related to the Carnotaurous, not much is known about Thanos simonattoi but due to it's similar development to other theropods it can be deduced that it was a smaller predator that hunted in pairs to bring down larger herbivorous dinosaurs for food. It is believed that this dinosaur had a bite force over double that of a modern alligator.
1. Attack of the Clones
While discussions on cloning are normally reserved for Star Wars, Thanos has also dabbled in the arts of genetic engineering. To their credit, Marvel Comics have never been shy about publishing the strange and bizarre products of their author's and illustrator's imagination. A perfect example of this is 2002's Infinity Abyss run of comics, in which Thanos creates a deadly team of clone lieutenants, splicing his own DNA into that of Professor Xavier, Tony Stark, Gladiator, Dr. Strange, and Galactus. These clones become too powerful and turn on Thanos, led by a mysterious reincarnation of Thanos himself, although if this second Titan is from the past or another clone is never determined. Thanos is eventually forced to team up with Adam Warlock, Gamora, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, and the real Dr. Strange to defeat this clone army and destroy this ill-fated science experiment.